The planet where the last surviving Matt stood was Arkos Prime, a world inhabited solely by humans. Once a beacon of human civilization, Arkos Prime was divided into two powerful empires, five great kingdoms, and countless smaller counties, each vying for influence and control. Among these, the Astraellan Dominion stood as the pinnacle of advancement, its citizens living under the banner of prosperity and military strength. However, the arrival of a new and terrifying threat shattered the Dominion's supremacy. From the depths of a distant galaxy, the Kraelith Empire emerged—a vast and conquering force so immense that they had long stopped counting the worlds they had subjugated. Their armies were colossal, and their fleets spread across star systems like a shadow of death. Ruthless and efficient, the Kraelith Empire set its gaze upon Arkos Prime, seeking to add yet another world to their endless conquest.
For the people of Arkos Prime, the invasion was inevitable. Yet, for the Kraelith, this planet was merely a training ground, a testing site for their future generals and soldiers to experience the art of war. The Kraelith could have easily crushed Arkos Prime. Still, they prolonged the conflict, allowing their young warriors to taste real bloodshed and develop tactical prowess on a live battlefield. It was a cold, calculated game for them, and the people of Arkos Prime were mere pawns in their grand design.
As the Kraelith forces descended upon the planet, the powers of Arkos Prime fractured. Each empire, kingdom, and county sought to defend its territory independently, unwilling to unite under a single banner. Their obsession with retaining power proved their undoing. The Astraellan Dominion, though technologically advanced and militarily strong, could not withstand the overwhelming force of the Kraelith alone. Piece by piece, the planet's empires crumbled.
In time, the situation grew increasingly dire. The proud empires and mighty kingdoms that had once dominated Arkos Prime were reduced to rubble. Now, only a single empire, three kingdoms, and a scattering of ten counties remained to resist the Kraelith onslaught. The Astraellan Dominion, Matt's homeland, was the last surviving empire, but even it teetered on the brink of collapse. Its once-unstoppable military was decimated, and its infrastructure lay in ruins. The once-great powers of Arkos Prime now hung by a thread, their armies exhausted, and their resources nearly depleted. Yet, the Kraelith continued to toy with the planet. The human resistance, despite their desperation, could not halt the Kraelith's advance. However, the invaders allowed the war to continue, treating it as a training exercise for their future leaders. They reveled in the carnage, using Arkos Prime as a crucible to forge their next generation of commanders.
But the Kraelith invasion didn't just bring destruction from without—it revealed the darkest depths of human nature. As the empires fell, order crumbled, and with it, humanity's moral compass shattered. The streets of Arkos Prime became filled with horrors worse than death: rape, pillage, and the vile trade of human lives. Once-proud citizens turned into predators, taking what they could by force. Slavery became rampant, not just as a byproduct of the invasion, but as a lucrative enterprise for the surviving human factions. People were bought and sold like commodities.
The human race, once divided by borders, was now united in brutality. The chaos spread like wildfire as warlords carved out their fiefdoms from the ashes of fallen cities, each one more ruthless than the last. The Kraelith's cold gaze watched from afar, observing the human descent into madness with detached amusement.
In this grim reality, the last surviving Matt awoke, disoriented and wracked with pain. A pounding headache blurred his thoughts when suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind:
"If you're hearing this message, it means I took a gamble that has killed every version of us in other realities—except you. You're likely confused, and I don't have much time to explain, so I'll keep it brief."
The voice continued, calm yet urgent.
"I am you, from another timeline. In my timeline, I became a god among gods, but even with all my power, I couldn't save the one we loved. Yes, we all fall in love with the same person across every reality, in different ways. We might have other relationships, but she... she is like a canon event for all of us. And in every timeline I've seen, she dies."
"To save her, I've taken a desperate gamble. You're the only one left who can carry this mission forward. I chose you because your reality is one of the worst I've encountered—making it the perfect place to mask my interference. If the other gods realize I'm vulnerable, they'll try to kill me. So, no hard feelings."
The voice paused as if struggling under the weight of the revelation.
"I can't give you all my memories; if I did, you'd go mad. Even I've started to fall into that madness. But you... you have the potential to survive this due to the atrocities occurring around you. With my sacrifice across all realities, I've created a system for you—a tool that will help you reach my level of power, and perhaps, even surpass it. But be warned: relying too much on this system could be your downfall."
The voice grew faint as it delivered its final message.
"To begin, simply think the word 'Status,' and the system will activate. It will also reveal the image of the one we love, to remind you of why you're doing this. After every twenty levels you achieve, you'll receive a fragment of my memories. As a final gift, I've sealed certain stats within you—these will only be unlocked in moments when you are near death. They will save you, but only three times. After that, you're on your own. Good luck, my friend. Save her... save her for all of us."